[GeorgiaLady]

Just a few thoughts that have been running through my mind lately concerning what I am learning as I go through my weight management journey.….

My Weight Management Truths:

I must keep a journal and write down EVERYTHING I eat, whether good or bad, in it.

I must exercise on a regular basis whether I feel like it or not.

I cannot eat out several times a week and manage to keep the weight off unless I am VERY careful about what I order.

I do not need a dessert after dinner every night to feel complete.

I must eat something for breakfast.

I must be informed concerning the calorie counts of anything I eat.

I need to know how many calories I need a day in order to maintain my weight.

I must remember how far I’ve come.

One bad day does not blow the entire diet.

Exercising gives me more energy.

Maintaining a healthy weight makes me feel better about myself.

It is not healthy to dislike yourself no matter what you weigh.

I need to give and receive support if I am to successfully manage my weight for the rest of my life.


These comments are what are true for ME…everyone is different. Please share some of your “weight management truths.”

[Misti in Seattle]

Hi K.C.

Interestingly enough for ME many of these truths which work for you only serve to discourage me so I don't do them! I don't keep a journal... or even calorie or fat count. I pretty much already KNOW when I am or am not eating healthfully, and I need to get my mind OFF of food.

I do agree that support is very important... and this forum is a great place to give and receive it! I also have two super close friends... one I see often and one who lives cross country (but PTL for phones and email) who continually give me positive support and encouragement.

I do take Juice Plus Complete every morning... which helps me tremendously so that I almost never even crave food... which is a BIG switch for me! I love this effect that it has on me!!!

For me too it is important... as I am a Christian... is to get a biblical perspective on things and to seek the prayer and support of my fellow Christians, which fortunately I have.

When I eat out I ask for a "to go" box to be given WITH my meal, and immediately divide the meal in half BEFORE I start eating, so I don't just keep thinking "one more bite." The leftovers are dinner the next night. Saves $$$ as well as calories... and I find that I am plenty full on half.

Another thing that truly helps and I had to work to learn is to take very small bites and chew it well. I often read while eating (another "no no" for many people) and can spend an hour or so sometimes eating my dinner. I put on my plate the first time what I am supposed to have and then eat it... no seconds. Also, I NEVER "cheat" and eat junk foods... I decide what I put into my mouth; my body doesn't decide for me.

Another thing which helps me is to set a specific time that I will not eat before... even if it doesn't matter... for my morning break I will not eat my fruit before 10 AM -- won't start my breakfast (which I take to work with me... start at 7) before 8 AM. Not that it matters what time I eat... but it is the DISCIPLINE of thinking about it and saying no to myself... that I am in control; not my body.

Oh... and regular exercise is essential!! Not an option!

Just a few thoughts.
Sue

[aphil]

It is possible to be skinny and "fat." You can be 110 pounds and have flabby thighs...to be fit and healthy you must exercise regularly.

You can lose weight or maintain weight loss and still have chocolate-no food is a "no-no." You have to learn how to indulge occasionally in moderation-eat one piece of candy instead of half a bag, or one cookie and not five.

Everyone is different when it comes to exercise. To stick with it, you have to find what YOU like to do. (I, for instance, will only run if I am being chased. )

Do not be in too much of a hurry to lose weight. You did not gain 35 pounds in a month, don't expect to lose it in a month-you will be setting yourself up for failure if you are setting unattainable
goals.

Do not rely solely on the scale to measure your successes. (Have your body fat percentage measured, take measurements of your body with a measuring tape, guage how your clothes are fitting...)

Set goals that have nothing to do with the scale. Aim to drink more water, get in more fruit and veggies in your diet, or challenge yourself to do more in your workouts.

Appreciate your body's good points, rather than always concentrating on your flaws. I have great shoulders, beautiful hands, and a large bosom. I am sure that everyone here can find some great features about themselves if they try!

Eating clean foods (foods that are in their purest, unprocessed form) is the best whenever possible.

The more you exercise and eat right, the better you will feel.

Aphil

[GeorgiaLady]

Thank you Sue and Aphil for sharing what works for you. Successful weight management is truly an individual science. What works for one may NOT work for another. The sharing of ideas is one of the wonderful advantages of using this site.

Anybody else want to share?

[sfwasabi]

Hi, GeorgiaLady!

I'll share.

First of all, you lost 20 lbs.! That's awesome!

I'll bet that when you started, 20 lbs. ago, you didn't think that you'd get this far. You may have thought that you would fail again. Or that it's Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Valentine's Day, Easter, so you can 'take a break' and indulge.

But you sticked to your guns, and you got results. That's a terrific accomplishment and I'll bet that you feel MUCH better about yourself now than when you started!

Plus you live in Georgia, all you have to do is take a look outside - it's just so beautiful there!

I've posted all of my progress in another thread that you're welcome to read: http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/show...threadid=24503

When I read the things that work for you, they were things that saddened me. I'm glad they work for you, and by all means keep up the motivation!

My motivation is a little different...

I was no larger than most overweight people, so I probably did not stand out in a crowd, but every morning my back was in agony, I felt like I was going to snap every time I got out of bed. I've always been ambitious and thought that there was a great life ahead of me, but over the past few years I've seen my life slip by and had lost the motivation to get up and do anything.

I hated what I had become, and I felt like I was dying inside emotionally, spiritually, and physically.

I decided that this was it. This year was going to be the year for change, because I was losing myself, and I felt that if I continued, there would be no end or no hope to recover. I would die not having recovered from my obesity, not having taken charge of my life, not having triumphed over the depression of getting myself in bad shape.

So, like a bat out of **** I was determined that this was the year I was going to make or break myself: I was going to reconnect with God spiritually, strengthen my body and my back, lose weight, keep a journal of my life so I could look back and see where I came from, and log my meals.

I started in January, but didn't start weighing myself until early February. I started at 218.9 lbs and am around 197-198 today. None of my clothes fit me anymore. I worked in the yard all day on Saturday without any exhaustion. I get up in the morning full of energy, and I'm tired at night.

So, my motivation is that I NEVER want to be again where I was. I love how my body is changing and how I feel refreshed and strengthened!

I'm connected to God and can feel my heart again. Every aspect of my life is so much more meaningful and has so much more love than before and THAT means much more to me than bacon cheeseburgers, french fries, pizza, garlic bread, pasta, cookies, cake and all that stuff. I love my life again and I never want to go back!

So, that's my motivation. As far as what I do (btw. I do these things because I want to, not because I have to. Missing one has no affect on my life, because my life is about my being in control of it, not what I do.):

1) I pray. I thank God for his blessings and changes in my life and for my progress. Sometimes I also visualize what I would look like being thin and healthy.

2) I weigh myself every day, because I'm the kind of person who likes to meet and break records. It helps me to see my weight in the morning, because I want to beat it in the evening. When I don't, I'm more motivated and enthusiastic in my excercise. I have a digital scale that measures body fat as well, so if I weigh 197.9 in the morning, I want to beat it and weigh 197.6 in the evening, etc.

3) I journal all my food, but I don't count calories. I journal my food at http://www.fitday.com to have a record of what percentage of protein, fat, and carbs my meals are. Many programs work for different people and you have to follow the one that you believe in and measure your results. For me, it's The Zone, and The Zone is about eating the right proportions of protein, carbs and fat from good foods - not about counting calories.

4) I excercise every day because I'm afraid that if I stop I may never start again.

5) I journal my day. It helps me look back and remember how I felt then compared to how I feel now. I stumbled upon an entry from a while ago stating how hungry I was all the time (before I settled into my new eating habits), and now I'm never hungry. It's good to look back and see that there was a time when I could only jog 5 minutes and I thought I was going to die! It brings my progress into perspective.

6) I yoga every night to keep my back in good shape. My back pain is now gone, and I'd had it for about 20 years.

7) I printed out about 20 testimonials from people who have lost a lot of weight, their motivation and what they've done, and I taped it to the door of my office. Every time I walk in, it reminds me that I can do it, and whenever I feel a little sad or unmotivated, I pull it out and read it and it puts me right back where I need to be.

8) If I don't want to excercise, I stop everything and do it anyway. I ALWAYS feel better afterwards.

9) There is no way that I'll ever have a perfect record. If I don't excercise one day, or I don't yoga, or I don't journal, or if I'm at a family gathering and most of the food isn't good for me; I don't sweat it. I do the best I can, pick the best foods I can from what's available and eat in moderation. I make up for what I can the next day, and let go of the things I can't make up. What's important is that the next day I have a chance to do it right again.

Congratulations on all of your progress and good luck! I hope that this has served to inspire you.

[GeorgiaLady]

Sfwasabi,

What an inspiring post....you have come so far and you are very determined. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your motivating ideas -- I know others will relate to what has worked for you and pick up a few additional ideas that they might use.

I like that you keep a journal. I know a lot of people don't like to do that and it does take some extra time but I have found it extremely helpful for me. I really need to know what I'm eating. It's so easy to forget a few things and wonder why the weight is not coming off. I also needed to have an idea as to how many calories I needed a day just to maintain my weight counting my activity level as well. I eat about 500 cals. less than what I need to maintain my weight and I can live with that as the lbs. come off slowly.

You are right when you mentioned that I can hardly believe 20 lbs. have come off. I have a ways to go but I feel that I can continue with this plan and get the weight off for good and instill good eating habits along with reg. exercise.

Another reason I am journaling this time is that I want to be able to look back and see where I started and what I did to make the necessary changes. If I start to slip up for any period of time, my journals will be my inspiration as well as a reminder of what I was eating that helped me loose the extra weight.

I have the feeling that I was taking in a great many more calories than I realized before I started writing everything down. Even if I eat a lot in a day, I still write it all down so I can try to modify my eating during the days after. I also enjoy adding recipes to my journal as I try different dishes.

This website and the people here have been such an inspiration to me....it's good to know that you're not in this alone.

Everybody keep up the great work!!

[Misti in Seattle]

Hi sfwasabi

Great post and thanks for sharing. You reminded me that I can't believe I left off my most important part... PRAY!!! Yes, definitely I do that too. I could not do this without God's help!!!

Sue

[Jane]

GeorgiaLady,

The Truths you posted are awesome, and thought-provoking. Keep up the good work!

[GeorgiaLady]

Thanks Jana!!!

[VermontMom]

Hello ladies!

I'd love to chime in here also.

I've lost 31 pounds, and gone down from a tight size 14 to a loose 8 and some 6's. I have worked hard to have a frame that shows muscle curves in shoulders, biceps, about "half a six-pack" in my abs, and am now working on focusing on my legs.

Keeping track of calories, and portion control. Definitely. If I take in more calories than I need, then I gain weight. Simple. So that means reading labels, and faithfully measuring.

Exercise at least 5X a week. I have to fit it into my schedule, even if it means not reading the daily newspaper...if something awful happens, I'll find out about it one way or another, haha. I personally enjoy using hand-held weights, 'cause I like to see the muscles emerging.

Support and motivation, which comes from here! When I am feeling that I REALLY want to pop in the kitchen and bake up a little dessert treat, I come HERE instead! Knowing that I'm not alone, that others are struggling also, helps (the old "misery loves company", right? )

Compliments from people - what a way to keep motivated!

If you just don't have any will power to resist certain caloric/sugary foods, don't have them in the house.

Accept that it will be a lifetime deal. Accept that it will be harder for you than for some others. Some people just don't care much about eating - I can't imagine that! I love to cook, to bake, to taste and eat. But it can be done in moderation.

Also accept that there will be times when you are stressed, angry, sad, whatever - and have a bad day food-wise. As GeorgiaLady said, it does not wreck your whole plan. You'll feel guilty afterwards, and mad at yourself, and possibly sick from the unhealthy food, but move on with renewed determination not to let it get the best of you.

Right now I am struggling with wanting something sweet for after dinner! I had to actually walk myself away from the kitchen, where I was musing if I had enough ingredients to make some mini-muffins...and marched myself up here to occupy myself here!

And to repeat what I've said on other threads here, I am loving so much the changes in my body. I am so much more confident; I love that I learned to ride a motorcycle last year, and have black leathers which make me feel totally hot and I dig hearing catcalls and whoops from TEENAGERS and grown men so that's motivation for me also!

Thanks for letting me write all this, and for keeping me out of the danged kitchen!

Your friend, Holly
from the "Doin' it the Old Fashioned Way" thread

[Misti in Seattle]

Hi Holly

Thanks for the great, encouraging post! That is a good idea to come HERE for "comfort" and support rather than turning to food!! Having others understand and encourage us helps a lot... and when you make THAT choice then you not only keep yourself on the "straight and narrow" but you encourage the rest of us to hang in there too!

Sue

[GeorgiaLady]

Great post Holly!! I agree with you in that sometimes you just have to "make" yourself walk away from temptation. We all go through times of "wanting to eat" that simply can't be explained. I have days where I can just eat a couple of salads and a piece of fruit and I'm completely satisfied.

Then, there are other days in which I could almost kill to get a piece of chocolate or another of my favorite foods. I seem to have to fight for the strength to resist.

I think quite often about how I'm going to manage maintenance. That's where I mess up every time. Got to make these changes permanent habits this time.

This site and the great people here are definitely going to make a big difference in my success!

Thanks for posting everyone!!! Anybody else have some suggestions?

[sfwasabi]

Before I talked about excercise and motivation, here are a couple more things that I do, foodwise...

No junk food in the house, not at all, NOTHING!

No eating out because I didn't take the time to make dinner.

If I do eat out, I look up the menu online and know exactly what I'm eating when I get there. I've already measured the protein, fat and carbs, and I take anything that's missing in baggies (ie. extra fruit, or my own salad dressing).

I've been following the zone diet (3 meals/2 snacks per day with every meal containing 40% Carbs, 30% Protein, 30% Fat)

I eat the same meals regularly. Each meal is about 300-400 calories and each snack is about 100 calories. My daily calories vary, but are between 1200-1400 usually. I suspect that by having it all planned out, it keeps me from wondering what to make, which could lead to speculation, or decisions based on hunger rather than health.

I usually have the same breakfast every day. It is usually 1/2 apple, 1/3 cup Steel Cut Oatmeal, 1/2 orange (or 1/2 cup grapes), 3/4 cup cottage cheese and 9 cashews.

I have 5 salads that I prepare for lunch, one for each day of the week. A Kiwi-Strawberry (Mon), an Oriental (Tue), a Bistro (Wed), a Greek (Thu) and a Taco (Fri). All the ingredients for every one is carefully measured and is the same every time.

For dinner I usually have a tv dinner. Here is where you have to be careful because most tv dinners, even weight watchers, healthy choice, and lean cuisine are bad. The ones I get are around 40% Carbs, 30% Protein, 30% Fat, or less. I find that I can easily add any missing carbs with steel cut oatmeal, missing protein with cheese, or missing fat with nuts. It really helps me out having a convenience dinner, because I'm usually very busy into the night, but I cook dinner very often as well.

For my 2 snacks I usually have 1/2 of a 40/30/30 bar. It gives me a little sweet taste, which keeps me from feeling deprived, and it sticks to my regimen. I have half between lunch and dinner, and half before bed.

I started this regimen early February and between this and excercise, I've lost about 25 lbs.

[GeorgiaLady]

Sfwasabi -- congrats on sticking to your regime and your weightloss!! Your results are amazing!!

I also like to "pre-plan" before going out to eat. If I can look up the menu online, I'm better able to make a "wise" decision. Now, a good many restaurants have a nutritional guide online.

Been trying to work off the after-effects of this past weekend. It is so much easier to stay O.P. than to try to return to it after a few "free" days.

I always feel better after I exercise...I find that I have much more energy too.

In the past few months I have been very surprised to find that my, almost daily, indigestion is gone...how about that!!

Guess I'd better get with it and get some cleaning done around here...wonder how many calories that's going to burn?

[antidieter]

I have several things I do.

A I eat whenever I am hungry for when I am hungry regardless of the time.

B I present food to myself because I know that there are times I am hungry and don't know it until I eat.

C if I think I am hungry but i am not I know that if I do eat I won't eat much since I do not make up eating to do.

D the only thing I like to make sure I do is to make sure the cuboards are full of the higher quality foods and that I eat to complete satisfaction regardless of the caloiric value.

E I make sure that if I am feeling antsy that I need to get out and go for a walk.

F. I do not write anything down nor think about what I had earlier in the day. I know this took me along time to achieve this point.

G I will share why I do this if I am given the oppertuntiy but I know most will not accept it nor understand it sometimes.

H if I crave ice cream or junk I know that I didn't eat enough of the higher quality foods and this is my cue to make sure that I do.